Pati Jinich said that some Mexican restaurants are more authentic than others.
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Celebrity chef Pati Jinich knows how to spot a good — and bad — Mexican restaurant.
Cold salsa and premade guacamole are both bad signs, according to the Mexican chef.
She said too many places are trying to do birria, and most of them aren't great.
Chef Pati Jinich — known for programs like PBS' "La Frontera" and "Pati's Mexican Table" — has dined at countless Mexican (and Mexican-inspired) restaurants.
Although she's had good meals at spots where she now lives in Washington, DC, and across the US, she can also sense when an establishment isn't doing her home country's cuisine justice.
Here are the five red flags she looks out for at Mexican restaurants.
Cold salsa isn't a good sign.Salsa should be served at room temperature or warmer.
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Salsa is a staple at any Mexican place, but Jinich told Business Insider that she's skeptical when it's served cold.
"Mexican salsas are best when they're freshly made and when they're either hot or lukewarm but not cold," she said.
Even if the salsa is made in big batches ahead of time — which is common — the chef said the best practice is to bring it to room temperature by taking it out of the fridge or warm it up by simmering it on the stove.
"The cold temperature makes salsas less flavorful," Jinich told BI. "When they are lukewarm or warm, their flavors are unlocked."
Tortilla chips shouldn't be brittlely thin. Fresh chips are usually thicker.
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Although the chef said serving a basket of chips before the meal is primarily an American invention, it's now common in restaurants across the US and Mexico.
"On the Mexican side of the border, the topos, or tortilla chips, tend to be made at the restaurant and with fresh corn tortillas, and they're thicker, too," Jinich told BI.
She's not a fan of the thin, easily cracked chips found in many Mexican restaurants in the States.
Premade guacamole is a big no. Guacamole is best when it's fresh.
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If there's one thing Jinich can't stand, it's low-quality, premade guac.
"Premade guacamole is a disgrace," she told BI. "It just doesn't taste at all like the guacamole that I know and that I love and that's so easy to make."
In Jinich's eyes, a good restaurant should always make fresh guacamole (ideally tableside) if it's on the menu.
Birria doesn't belong on every Mexican menu. Birria is sometimes served alongside tacos.
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Birria is a meat stew that's said to have roots in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Made well, it's tender, savory, and absolutely delightful.
But lately, Jinich said, the regional dish has become a fad. It's available everywhere, from Qdoba to Sugar Factory — raising its appearance on US menus by more than 400% over the last four years.
"On the one hand, I'm happy when I see it, but on the other hand, many times, they're just trying to put it on the menu," she told BI. "They know it is going to appeal to customers, but when it's not executed right, it's disappointing."
Proper preparation of birria is a multi-hour process and requires a complex mix of herbs and spices. If you're served a much more basic meat stew, it's likely not authentic birria.
Be wary of fusion menus. Pizza doesn't have to be on every restaurant menu.
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Jinich is all for Americans (and other cultures) learning more about Mexican cuisine and incorporating it into their meals. However, she tends to avoid Mexican-fusion spots.
"I don't love seeing in a Mexican restaurant when they do too many things," she said. "For example, if you see a Mexican restaurant that also has sushi and pizza and pasta, that's kind of a warning to me."
